


A Christmas Surprise

by FannibalLecter



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Cuba, Fluff, M/M, Murder Husbands, noche buena
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 21:59:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9036032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FannibalLecter/pseuds/FannibalLecter
Summary: Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham have settled in Cuba, keeping a low profile. It is Christmastime, though, and Hannibal is planning a dinner party.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Please check the end for reference information.

Hannibal and Will are sitting at the mahogany dining table in their new home in Cuba, enjoying a meal of vaca frita; skirt steak marinated in red vinegar with spices, served with some lime-infused onions and peppers. “Christmas is in two weeks; I was considering hosting a small Noche Buena dinner with a few friends, Will,” Hannibal says.  
  
“If you’re thinking of a dinner party, you must have an idea of where you plan to get the meat,” replies Will.  
  
Hannibal feigns shock before a small smirk crosses his face, “Perhaps.”  
  
“I don’t know, Hannibal. I’m not sure if I feel up to a dinner party; that may require me to be social,” the younger man jests. “Seriously though, Jack is still looking for us; it may be prudent for us to continue to lay low for a bit longer.”  
  
Hannibal takes a bite of his food, chewing thoughtfully. “If I didn’t know better, Will, I would think you’re concerned about my well-being. You were once willing to betray me to Jack.”  
  
“You know that, despite the fact that I shouldn’t be concerned about you, I am.  Besides, I’m on the run with you; if you were caught, then it’s reasonable to assume I would be caught as well. And, I don’t want to be separated from you, again.” 

“I understand your concerns Will; I certainly do not wish for us to be separated either. However, do you really doubt my ability to evade the authorities? You, better than anyone, should know that I am careful about what I do.”  
  
Will looks up at Hannibal, sighs, “No, I don’t doubt your capabilities, Hannibal. I just find it unwise to take that chance, so soon after our escape. You do have a tendency toward the um…. theatrical in what you do, that is very distinct.”

Hannibal takes a sip of wine and considers Will’s words before responding, “I cannot deny that. However, I do know how to rein that part of myself in.”  
  
Will looks dubiously at Hannibal, “Fine, if you insist, just…please be careful.” Will eats a few bites of his meal before asking, “Who do you have in mind?”

“There’s a small shop downtown, called Habana 1791. The owner is a man in his late 40s and he has a wife that helps at the shop, but she is very quiet, withdrawn. I was at the shop a few weeks ago, and I couldn’t help but notice that there was a light bruise on her eye, showing through her make-up. I had my suspicions but no proof, until a few days ago. I was at one of the cafés downtown, and I overheard her confiding in a friend, that her husband was abusing her.” Hannibal paused for a second, “Will you join me?”

Will sets his fork, full of food, on the plate and looks up at Hannibal, “I…I don’t know. Killing Francis was a necessity. This is not.”

“You still struggle with the fact that you enjoy killing. This man is an abuser, Will; we will be saving this woman’s life,” Hannibal pauses, “Give it some thought, Will.”  
  
Will looks at Hannibal, and just gives a quiet nod. They finish their dinner, speaking little. Will then helps Hannibal clear the table, carrying the dirty dishes into the kitchen, where they wash and put the dishes away, together. They work together in silence, each man in his own thoughts. As they finish, Will finally speaks, “You make a valid point, about the woman being abused.” He takes a deep breath, “I will join you.”  
  
Hannibal looks over at Will, smiling with admiration. “I’m glad that is the decision you have come to, Will. I am sure we will have a delightful Noche Buena dinner.”

* * *

 

Over the next two weeks, Hannibal and Will worked out the plan on how to trap the shop owner, as well as the dinner.

The night before Noche Buena, they ambush the shop owner successfully. They remove part from the man’s flank for the next night’s meal. While, not Hannibal’s traditional flourish, the shop owner is hung from a meat hook, on a nearby small farm, like the pig that he was.

The next evening, Hannibal and Will prepared a traditional Cuban Noche Buena meal, of lechon asado, moros y cristianos, tostones, and more, for their friends. When the guests arrive, Will (or as they know him, Jonathan) dutifully greets them, ushering them to the dining room, where Hannibal has set the table elegantly. He welcomes the guests with a toast to a wonderful holiday season and a prosperous new year. As they eat, the guests rave about how delicious the food is, impressed with Hannibal’s culinary expertise, which Hannibal (or as they know him, Alexander) delights in.  As they unknowingly feast upon the shop owner, Hannibal and Will exchange pleased looks. The discussion for the evening ranges from psychiatry to the renaissance and much more.

Once dinner has ended and the guests have departed, Hannibal and Will begin their typical routine of clearing the table and washing the dishes. As they finish up, Will turns to Hannibal, “I bought you a gift, for Christmas. It’s in the sitting room,” he pauses and looks at the clock display on the oven, to his right, “and it is after midnight; technically Christmas.”   
  
Hannibal smirks, raising his eyebrows, “A gift for me? You know Will, people will say we are in love.”   
  
Will blushes, causing Hannibal to smile even more.

The two men enter the dimly lit sitting room, which had been decorated for the holidays. When entering the room, one notices the fireplace set against the back wall, flames flickering. In front of the fireplace are two blue velvet, tufted reading chairs; against the right wall is a desk, where Hannibal typically writes and draws. Behind the reading chairs, toward the center of the room, is a Christmas tree, elegantly adorned with lights and baubles, and draped with red and silver ribbon. Will walks over to the Christmas tree and takes out a small rectangular box, about 2 inches high, wrapped in silver wrapping paper. He looks at the gift, puzzled; the nametag reads “Will” in fancy script. He looks up at the Hannibal, surprised, “You got me a gift as well?”  
  
“Of course,” he smiles; “Please, open your present first.”

Will opens the box and looks inside, a grin spreading across his face as he pulls out a small crystal-cut dog figurine. “This is perfect. Thank you.”  
  
“I recalled that you had maintained a collection of dog figurines, in your old life. I thought you would like to start anew.”  
  
Will places the dog figurine on top of the fireplace mantel, before returning to the Christmas tree, where he retrieves a heavier rectangular package, wrapped in green shiny gift wrap. This one he hands to the older man. Hannibal carefully unwraps the present; it’s a leather-bound book: “’La Vita Nuova’ by Dante Aligheri,” reads the front of the book, in graceful script. Hannibal opens the book and sees inscribed inside:

  
_“In that book which is my memory,_  
_On the first page, that is the chapter when I first met you,_  
_Appear the words, ‘Here begins a new life.’”_

Hannibal looks up at Will, the meaning of the words not lost on him. He licks his lips before speaking, “Thank you, Will; this is a wonderful gift.”  
  
Will smiles, “I’m glad you like it.”  
  
Hannibal pages through the book for a bit, stopping to read lines here and there. Once he gets to the end of the book, he closes it, and he places it neatly on the desk. He turns and smiles at the younger man, slightly tilting his head, “I do have one more surprise for you, but it’s in the basement. Please, have a seat and wait here, with your eyes closed, and I will be back in a moment.”  
  
Hannibal leaves the room, but is only gone briefly. Upon his return, he walks over to the younger man, pleased to see that Will had been compliant about keeping his eyes closed. Hannibal takes Will’s hand and gently places it on something soft, warm, and with fur…and alive. Will opens his eyes wide, with the most genuine grin on his face; he exclaims “He is so cute!”  
  
Hannibal chuckles, “It warms my heart to see you smile so. I know how much you missed your dogs; I wish I could retrieve them for you, but that is an impossibility.  So I went to the local shelter and picked him out; they were going to euthanize him. They said he is a Terrier mix and that his name was Willie.”    
  
Will laughs at the name of the dog, “Well, I will probably rename him, but he is adorable,” he says, as he pets the large, light brown and white dog.  “Thank you so much, Hannibal. I promise that I will be careful of the dog fur.”  
  
Hannibal smiles, “I’m not worried about that; I just want you to be happy, Will.”

Will stands up after petting the dog a bit more. “I still have one more gift for you, Hannibal.” He walks to the Christmas tree and picks up the last square box, wrapped in shiny red wrapping paper, from under the tree and hands it to Hannibal. Hannibal carefully opens the gift, and when he sees what is inside the box, tears come to his eyes. He looks up at Will, briefly, before taking it out of the box to admire it. It’s a white teacup that had clearly been shattered but put back together using the Japanese art form called kintsugi, where broken pottery is repaired with a lacquer that is mixed with a gold powder. Will whispers, “The teacup has come back together.”  
  
When Hannibal looks up at Will again, there is a single tear running down his cheek. “Thank you, Will,” Hannibal replies, in a somewhat shaky voice. He walks over to the fireplace and sits the teacup on the mantel.  Will goes over to Hannibal, and when Hannibal turns to him, Will reaches up and wipes away the tear. “I love you, Hannibal,” he says, as he pulls the older man into an embrace. They stand like that, holding on to each other.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity, Hannibal gently pulls away, his eyes still wet, as he looks into Will’s eyes. “I was going to do this after Christmas dinner, but now seems more fitting.” Hannibal puts his hand in his pocket and withdraws a small black box. He opens it as he says, “Will you marry me?”  
  
Will, completely taken aback by the sudden proposal, his own eyes shining with unshed tears, stutters, “I…I…this is unexpected, Hannibal.”  
  
“I know, Will, but we have been living together for some time, and we both know that we cannot survive separation. I love you, Will.”  
  
Will nods his head, before choking out the word, “Yes.” Hannibal removes the ring from the box, and slides it onto Will’s finger. This time, it is his turn to pull the other man toward him, as he leans in and places a gentle kiss on Will’s lips.

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This was part of the Hannigram Holiday Exchange. I hope my giftee enjoys the story. Merry Christmas and may 2017 be filled with happiness, laughter, love, and more Hannibal. 
> 
> Reference for the cut crystal dog:    
> http://crystalcarousel.com/JPGCrystalPhotos/PortugueseWaterDogRetSide.jpg
> 
> Reference for Willie, the dog:  
> http://imgur.com/pDHoCYI  
> Adoption page:  
> http://petango.com/Adopt/Dog-Terrier-33581624
> 
> Reference for the kintsugi teacup:   
> https://img1.etsystatic.com/134/0/11784314/il_340x270.1094425347_5or9.jpg


End file.
